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NEW DELHI: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is processing an precocious Active Protection System (APS) for the Indian Army’s T‑90 tanks, marking a important leap successful indigenous armoured defence technology.
The Combat Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (CVRDE) is starring the effort to make APS technologies susceptible of defeating explosives‑based anti‑armour threats, portion the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) is moving connected blast‑based hard‑kill countermeasures and propulsion technologies to neutralize a wide scope of anti‑tank projectiles, according to a DRDO insubstantial seeking manufacture partners.What sets this strategy isolated is its reported quality to intercept threats traveling astatine speeds exceeding 1,500 meters per second, a capableness that surpasses astir APS presently fielded by precocious Western militaries, sources said. These systems are besides designed to support tanks from top-attack munitions arsenic per an equipped forces capableness improvement roadmap document.The strategy is being developed arsenic portion of India's efforts to heighten the survivability of its armoured fleet successful an epoch wherever tanks progressively look threats from anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), equipped drones and loitering munitions.
According to the document, the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) is starring enactment connected APS technologies susceptible of defeating explosive-based anti-armour threats. The High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) is processing blast-based hard-kill countermeasures and propulsion technologies designed to neutralise a wide spectrum of incoming projectiles.One of the astir important features of the projected strategy is its reported quality to intercept threats travelling astatine speeds exceeding 1,500 metres per second.
Such show would perchance let it to prosecute not lone anti-tank missiles but besides definite high-velocity kinetic-energy projectiles, among the astir hard threats for armoured vehicles to defeat.The APS is besides being designed to support tanks against top-attack munitions, according to an equipped forces capableness improvement roadmap. These weapons, which people the comparatively thinner armour connected a tank's roof, person emerged arsenic a large situation for armoured formations successful caller conflicts.The improvement reflects a increasing displacement successful armoured warfare. Tanks, agelong considered the embodiment of battlefield firepower, extortion and mobility, are progressively susceptible to precision-guided weapons. In the warfare successful Ukraine, anti-tank missiles and drones person repeatedly been utilized to people armoured vehicles, highlighting the request for progressive antiaircraft systems successful summation to accepted armour.Active Protection Systems are broadly divided into hard-kill and soft-kill categories.Hard-kill systems physically destruct oregon disable incoming projectiles earlier impact. Using sensors and radar to observe threats, they motorboat countermeasures that tin destruct a missile, trigger premature detonation of its warhead oregon destabilise kinetic-energy penetrators. Several countries person already fielded specified systems. Russia's Arena uses Doppler radar and interceptor munitions, portion Israel's combat-proven Trophy strategy employs explosively formed penetrators to decision incoming missiles.
The United States has tested systems specified arsenic Quick Kill and Iron Curtain, portion Russia's newer Afganit strategy is reported to beryllium susceptible of engaging some anti-tank missiles and kinetic-energy rounds.Soft-kill systems question to deceive oregon obscure incoming guided weapons alternatively than destruct them. These see fume screens, infrared jammers and physics countermeasures that interfere with a missile's guidance system.
Such defences tin beryllium deployed pre-emptively oregon activated automatically erstwhile a menace is detected.By integrating some hard-kill and soft-kill technologies into a unified architecture, DRDO aims to supply layered extortion for frontline armour. If successfully developed and fielded, the strategy could importantly amended the battlefield survivability of India's T-90 fleet portion reducing dependence connected overseas extortion technologies.The task is portion of a broader propulsion towards defence self-reliance and the improvement of indigenous solutions for emerging battlefield threats, positioning India among a tiny radical of countries moving connected next-generation progressive extortion systems for armoured vehicles.
